Crossing the Boulder
by Psyga315
Summary: Pewter City had decreed a law that people must have a Boulder Badge to cross their borders. Kenji writes about the experiences of living under this new law through his journal and the consequences of no longer being able to go freely through the city and into the world.
1. Day 1

Dear Journal,

Today was the day the Pokémon League set up Pewter City's new law. No one is allowed out of Pewter City without a Boulder Badge. The weird thing is that there's no border so to speak. It's a kid who checks your badges, then drags you to the gym so you could face Brock. Nothing passes by this kid's notice. My son tried, no avail. I think this is better than a simple wall, since it doesn't feel restrictive.

While I appreciate the attempt to curb terrorism from Team Rocket down, I feel concerned. With the way that the law and border are presented, people coming in from Viridian City can enter, but unless you have a Boulder Badge, you can't leave. It's like a cockroach motel, so to speak. You can check in, but you can't check out.

Still, I feel optimistic for the future. The exit leading to the Viridian Forest isn't blocked, so people are more than welcome to go back there. Maybe once Team Rocket has cooled down from using Electrodes to bomb trains, the borders will open up. We'll see.

See you around,

Kenji


	2. Day 7

Dear Journal,

It's been one week since the law was put in place. Contrary to popular belief, doing Brock's chores is _not_ going to earn you badges. Despite that, I see dozens of people, those who have weak Pokémon or even no Pokémon at all, offer to give Brock a helping hand. I've even seen people go as far as offer their own daughters as _brides_.

I feel envious and even a little ticked off. Every single time, Brock refused to give people a Boulder Badge because they needed to earn it in battle. Easier said than done. First, you need a Pokémon. A water or grass type is required, lest you get thrown out by the dude in the front. Next you need to survive the gauntlet of trainers. Thankfully people have created short cuts in the gym, but most believed they need to fight them all.

Lastly, they need to beat Brock. Unfortunately for them, Brock's not exactly a pushover, especially when the law came into place. Before, he was a cakewalk, using only a Geodude and an Onix. Now? You need to also face a Kabutops, an Omastar, an Aerodactyl, and a Rhydon. Needless to say, no one has managed to succeed.

I'm sure it's for the greater good though. I'm looking forward to the new era of peace that'll come from this.

See you around,

Kenji


	3. Day 30

Dear Journal,

A month. That's how long this law has been going for. In that time, we have seen an exponential increase of new citizens…

At first, it felt good to see new faces move in, but it became more and more apparent that people were staying in Pewter City not by their own choice. Most of them entered Petwer City, not knowing of the requirement for a Boulder Badge. Some managed to beat the Gym Leader and got the badge okay, but others were blindsided and were unable to prepare properly. Now, they're stuck.

I tried asking them if they should go back to Viridian City through the forest, but from what they say, the forest had a huge increase in Beedrill population, not helped by the fact that an unknown material is making them evolve into a more violent breed and driving the Butterfrees to near-extinction in the forest. With an infestation of killer Beedrills, staying in a well guarded city was the next best thing.

That said, it's not a good thing. We ran out of space for housing last week and were forced to turn the Museum of Science into a hostel. My son always loved to go there, but now he goes there to work at the impromptu soup kitchen. We're growing by the day, and that's not a good thing…

We're running thin on space… How much longer until we run out of food?

See you around,

Kenji


	4. Day 60

Dear Journal,

In the two months that had passed since the law came into effect, Pewter City became cluttered. There's no more space at the Museum and people had to make camp at what used to be a good flower garden.

Salvation came, though, in the form of a man named Billy who traded Bellsprouts and Oddishes for large sums of money. I paid for both, had a well-paying job at the Museum to afford it. The thing is training them. Thankfully, the hostel had a small Pokémon arena that would help people train their Pokémon and evolve them. This, coupled with the man selling Rare Candy for an arm and a leg, will be enough for people to get their badges and move on.

I feel hopeful again.

See you around,

Kenji


	5. Day 90

Dear Journal,

The hostel is no more and Billy was arrested. The police insisted that he was a member of Team Rocket and that the Pokémon we bought were stolen from other Trainers, but I had been with him for the past month. Billy came from Pallet Town, had a wife and kid, and had a very clean record as far as the law's concerned. He never gave off the impression that he was part of Team Rocket. I also knew that he personally ran a daycare where he would continually produce eggs for future buyers. What the police were saying was total bull.

Adding to the fire, the hostel was closed on the account of the fights becoming more and more brutal. The nail in the coffin was a person who managed to strike fear in our hearts by releasing one of the deadly Beedrills. He referred to it as a Mega Beedrill. He attacked us. It was a mess…

After all was said and done, the guy snuck off. I saw him pass by the kid. He inspected the badges and let him go… Despite him murdering people with the Beedrill.

I felt a seething anger inside me. How come the man who was only trying to help get arrested and labeled as Team Rocket while the man who blatantly killed with his Pokémon was let go scot-free. And all he had to do was give the kid a drink.

I had doubts before, but now I knew for certain: this system is fucked.

See you around,

Kenji


	6. Day 120

Dear Journal,

Four months have passed since the law was enacted. For the most part, there's peace. But also, complacency. We weren't allowed to venture past our own city unless we wanted to beat Brock. Even so, our Pokémon, the only ones worth a damn to the asshole at the front of the gym, were taken away, leaving only the weak Rattatas and Pidgeys as our Pokémon.

Most of us resorted to making fake Boulder Badges based off what we saw of the Boulder Badges that people had. It beats having to pry the badges off people's hands and getting into brawls over them. At first, it worked, but soon after, police cracked down once more. I think I saw the inside of a jail cell more times than I could see the outside of my window.

I only forged a badge for my son before it was taken away from me. He needed to leave this place and not look back. I feel like something horrible will happen soon, and I don't want him to be there when it does.

I hope I can be alive to see him off…

See you around,

Kenji


	7. Day 150

Dear Journal,

The radio is our only window into the world beyond Pewter. It's the only thing that keeps the peace now. At least until today.

News came that other cities are adapting the border system. Only one, so far, but there would be more to follow, for sure. Vermillion City had planted a huge tree that could only be cut by Pokémon who could learn Cut. Thing is, the only way to _learn_ Cut is by boarding the SS Anne to learn it from its captain.

At least our Gym Leader doesn't do some blatant marketing tactic like that…

All while no mention of Team Rocket being at large despite the whole reason why the borders were set up in the first place. For many, they believe that the Team Rocket fiasco is just an excuse to create the borders in the first place. That there was never any real danger from them. That we'll be treated as the criminals and not be able to get out of Pewter City.

Something must change.

Something must be done…

… This may be my last entry.

See you around,

Kenji


	8. Day 332

… Dear Journal…

It's been… quite a while.

The prison I was sent to was nothing like the prison that is Pewter City. I'm surprised that the most I got for attempted murder was six months. You'd think the punishment would be more severe, especially considering that the person who was about to be killed was Brock.

To be fair though, I'm on parole and I was only on it because of good behaviour. Now I'm back and…

…

…

It's a lot to take in…

I was told that food ran out and my wife was one of the many who starved to death. Making things worse was that people got sick. There were no hospitals, and the only place with actual medics was the Pokémon Center. Most of the nurses there turned people away. There's now only twenty-eight people, myself included. I was told that my son managed to beat Brock, got a Boulder Badge and got out of the city…

I'm glad. He escaped hell…

The museum is back and fully functioning. Maybe I'll check it out. You have to pay to get in now, but…

Just to see the past back when I used to remember it a year ago… It's worth it.

See you around,

Kenji


	9. Day 365

Dear Journal,

My son visited me.

He was sporting a white jacket with a red R on it.

He said that they're fighting the injustices of the Pokémon League.

That they're gonna bring everything back to the way it used to be.

They got the border police in Viridian City drunk on an experimental beer. One that'll knock him out for a long time. Plenty of time for people to pass by.

He said that he'd be going into Mt. Moon to retrieve some fossils, come back, and beat Brock twenty times over to get the rest of us out.

He changed his name to Kid. He says Billy is mentoring him.

I couldn't really look him straight in the eye. He was a Team Rocket member…

If I had let him get away… I would be arrested for harboring a criminal… My parole would be broken…

I…

I turned him in…

Seeing my boy in that car, knowing I will never see him again, knowing that I had no other option…

I…

I'm just realizing now what I have traded away.

I traded conformity for my life.

My son was all that was left…

Now he's gone…

I can't believe I did that to my own son…

I can't believe I am now a cog in this machine…

I can't believe…

I just want to go back…

Before all this happened…

… I'm going to the museum.

Those fossils from Mt. Moon were amazing. I need to check them out again. You have to pay to get in now, but…

Just to see the past back when I used to remember it a year ago… It's worth it.

See you around,

Kenji


	10. Epilogue

A Pokémon trainer, fresh off the heels of the Viridian Forest, headed into the heart of Pewter City, when he came across a middle-aged man.

"Did you check out the museum?" He asked. The Pokémon trainer shook his head. "Really? You absolutely have to go!" He dragged the kid over to the museum. "It's right here! You have to pay to get in, but it's worth it! See you around!" He then left to his spot. There, he stood in that spot for what seemed to be hours, if not days, until another Pokémon trainer came by.

There, he'd ask them: "Did you check out the museum?". Those who said no would be taken there and be told that it's worth the price. Those who said yes were asked about the fossils from Mt. Moon.

And at the end, the man would always say the same farewell: "See you around!"

This, sadly, was the fate that befell Kenji…

Every time a Trainer is to get out of Pewter City without a Boulder Badge, a kid would just drag them back to the Pewter City gym. The border system is still in effect to this day…


End file.
